Brighter, and other ways you changed my world
by seeyouontheflipside01
Summary: A collection of Natsume x Mikan oneshots, if any of them is good enough I may continue it in a separate story. Brighter, told from Natsume's perspective, depicts the painful process of falling in love with your worst enemy. Planning Ahead tells the story of an innocent walk that turns into an unintended conversation. R&R please! Support appreciated. T for kissing and mild cursing.
1. Brighter

**This is my first story on Fanfiction, so R&amp;R is greatly appreciated. Just no cursing, please! **

**Gakuen Alice and everything surrounding it is owned by the Mangaka, I only own the story idea! **

**(Takes place before Natsume ever confesses to Mikan)**

I hate magnets.

Imagine that one day, you're breaking out. You're breaking out of the hellhole that binds you, the very place you were about ready to kill yourself to escape from.

And then there is a girl standing down below you with Sensei, your escape is ruined. She's so cheerful it hurts. You vow to be her enemy.

Over time, she starts warming up to you. She wants to help you become better. To help save you from the darkness that nobody bothered to notice beforehand. You may not be aware, but over time she becomes your light. You smile a bit every time she calls your name, and become forlorn when she's gone. Your friend notices this happening. He loves her openly. This pisses you off, for some reason.

One day, she's about to kiss him in a play. You throw an eraser at her head to make it stop.

That's when you realize she means a little too much to you. But there's nothing you can do, because you can't live without her. And you're not sure if she understands that, or if you even _want _ her to. But you can't lose that light. You have to preserve it.

And so you're drawn to her.

And that's why, leaning against my favorite Sakura tree, this guy was really pissing me off. He caressed your cheek, twirled your hair, and you stood there, helpless, because you're too nice to just back away even when you need to be more assertive. Suddenly, it happened in slow motion. He grabbed the small of your back. He pulled you close. I lunged. Before his lips could touch your rosy, pink, innocent ones, I slapped him across the face with a burning hand. _What the hell?!_ He screamed, running away with a nasty burn on his left cheek. You stared at me. I stared back. My heart thudded against my ribs. I let my bangs fall into my face and ran back into the woods. I couldn't escape from this forever, but I could sure as hell try.

You tried to talk to me for days afterward. I would huff and walk away. I hoped you'd ignore me. I didn't want to let this happen. You deserved better. That smile deserved someone who could preserve it, not bring it down.

Progressively, you smiled less. So did I. You looked at me longingly in passing. I looked at you longingly when you had no idea. I burnt the entire stock of firewood outside the school because I had no idea how else to take this out. I sat under the Sakura tree every night. I barely slept.

You continued to become more depressed. It was killing me. Hotaru would put a hand on your shoulder, but you'd yank it away and wipe your eyes when you thought nobody was looking.

One night, you were under the Sakura tree when I came to sit there. Bear sat next to you. I hid behind a nearby tree to listen.

_He really confuses me, Bear. We were mortal enemies to begin with. He hated me, and I didn't like him. But where there's a bad side in someone, there is a good side. It depends on which side you chose to live by. _You took a breath, looking up at the stars peaking through the branches. _And so I started to try to help him. He seems so sad. So lost. I never felt a bigger desire to help someone. Narumi-sensei mentioned that someone out there needed my Alice. And I wonder if he didn't mean that literally. Maybe nullifying helps to numb the pain and… The fire inside that darkness he lives in. I want to be whatever lights up that darkness for him. _ I blinked the moistness from my eyes. _But sometimes I wonder if he really wants me to. What's really confusing me, is the other day, he hit Nao, that pervert, on the cheek. With fire. When Nao was about to kiss me. And so I thought maybe he was protecting me. But ever since, he's ignored me. And I feel worthless here again. _Bear put a hand on your arm. You scooped Bear into your arms and cried.

I sorta wished I was Bear. I slammed a fist onto the tree trunk. Was it right for an 11 year old to feel love this way? Suddenly, I remembered something I heard Narumi-sensei tell someone. Maybe the bastard had a perverted Alice, but he actually did know his worth about true love.

_With true love, age doesn't matter. It's that draw of fate you feel. If that draw of fate is so strong, if you quite literally cannot live on without that person, then it is true love. Remember that fate can draw one person to another, but the other may not be drawn in the same way. Treat love with care._

Who had he been telling this to? Probably Permy, considering she thinks we've got some sort of magnetism.

I repel Perm with a force greater than the Earth's gravitational pull, but she persists.

I thought you did too.

But here you are, sobbing into Bear's plush fur.

And I feel like a jerk.

So I pull a piece of lined paper from my pocket I meant to use for an assignment, yank a pen from my other, and scribble _Sorry _ on it. And throw it right at your head.

And run.

You hear me, and look after.

But I'm gone.

The next day, you eye me in the hallway. I don't do anything, I just lean against the wall and stare at you with what I hope is a neutral expression. You prance up to me. You ask me if that was me in the woods yesterday.

_What do you think, Polka Dots? _ I snort, tightening my grip on my notebook and walking to my Dangerous Alice class. You stare after me, baffled, but somewhat relieved.

And that's where the hopeless loop _usually_ begins again.

You catch me under the Sakura tree this time. I stuff the paper Ruka had given me (probably to piss me off), "5 signs you're in love" in my pocket and stare up at you.

_What do you want? _ I ask, raising an eyebrow. You hold up a chocolate. Dark chocolate. With orange zest shavings.

I stare up at you in shock. _How the hell did you remember that was my favorite?_

You shuffle your feet and look at the ground. _You mentioned it once before so I was saving the memory to use as a gift someday… I actually made this stuff myself! Here you go!_

I notice a small piece of catnip at the top. You begin to laugh.

I bare my teeth and look at you hungrily. _You know what catnip does to people like me? _ You stare at me blankly with a sweatdrop running down your temple. _Um… What? _I stand up and step toward you in one swift movement, lifting your small chin up with my finger and smiling. _Oh, nothing._ I brush my lips across yours, not a kiss, just a swipe, and snatch the chocolate from you. _Thanks. _ I mutter, biting into it. When you don't leave and just stand there staring at me, I huff and look up at you. _Scram, Polka Dots. _ You cross your arms indignantly and bend down to my level. _I don't listen to little perverts like you who flirt with girls just to get chocolate. _ I snort. _I didn't do it just to get the chocolate, _**_baka. _**I realize what I said too late, hoping you don't pick up on the not-so-subtle undertone. _Oh. _ You look up through the trees. _Ruka-pyon said you are in love with me. Is that true?_ You turn to me and furrow your eyebrows. I put my manga over my face and huff. _Think what you want. I'm not answering. _You tackle me, pissed. Throwing the manga off my face, you stare at me with that evil face of yours. _Knock it off, ugly. I'll burn you._ You grimace. _You can't burn me. I have the nullification Alice, remember?_ I huff. _Would you stop reminding me, _**_baka?_**_ I can't forget if you keep reminding me. _Your hair falls onto my face. It smells like oranges. I laugh to myself, but you see me smile anyways. You grip my shoulders tighter. _You never answered me!_ I roll my eyes and kiss you, smack on the lips. You did ask for it. Indirectly, maybe, but you did. I push you off of me and snatch my manga from beside the tree, licking the leftover chocolate from my lips and grinning down at you. _Speak a word and I burn you._ I strolled away into the woods, not being able to hide the fact I was smiling a little bit.

The next day, you stare at me in the hallways with this baffled look on your face. I stick my tongue out and flick your forehead. _Don't do that with your face. You look like an idiot._ You stick your tongue out back.

For once, I walk to the Dangerous class with a hint of a smile on my face, and notice the sun just might be shining a little bright outside.

Or maybe that's just you.

Whatever.

**Thanks so much for reading! Your support is welcome, I hope to write more Gakuen Alice fanfiction! Reviews are welcome and important to me. ^^**


	2. Planning Ahead

**"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction."**

**\- Antoine de Saint-Exupery**

* * *

Takes place after Chapter 180, when Mikan and Natsume are older and stuff. ^^

* * *

They hadn't planned on taking this walk, but that didn't stop them from taking it anyways.

They'd bumped into one another on a street corner while holding the other's Alice stone in their hands. His eyes had widened. She'd blushed. He took her hand. She took his.

And so they walked.

With her free hand, she twirled her loose hair. He glanced at her.

"It took you this long to listen to me?" He finally snorted, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. She groaned. "That's the first thing you say? Seriously?" He lifted their grasped hands up to his lips and kissed the top of hers. "I apologize, Princess Polka-Dots," he snickered, feeling particularly mischievous today.

She groaned again. "The least you could do is complement me, doofus," she huffed, her cheeks puffing out as if she were a chipmunk. He flicked her forehead. "Knockit off. You're much prettier without doing that pouting. Better?" she gazed forward. "It's clear that I'm not getting any better out of you at the moment, so yes." A million thoughts swirled in her head, thoughts she'd saved for so long for somebody, but until now she'd had no idea whom.

"So, what would you name your kids?" she asked, oblivious of the sensitive nature of the question, cocking her head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow. "…Polka-dots, Strawberry Fields, and 'That Pervert'." She puffed her cheeks out again. "Well, my kids are going to be named after happy things. Joy, Hope, and Destiny." He grinned slightly. "Nah, we need middle ground. Our kids can't sound like wusses. How about… Natsume-the-Wonderful-" Mikan purposefully stomped on his foot. "Like I'm naming him that! How about.. Fate?" Natsume huffed. "That sounds bad AND cool at the same time."

He spaced out, staring at a cherry blossom tree. "Yeah, okay, Fate. And one can be Joy, like you said. But who's the other kid going to be?" She bit her lip. "We'll name him spontaneously. Whatever pops into mind that day."

They walked in silence for awhile, smiling. "What kind of house will you have?" she continued. "Not too big, not too small. Brick. Lots of fire alarms. Only thing I'm allowing is a Tatami room." Mikan huffed. "That sounds fine, I guess. But there needs to be citrus trees in the yard, sprinklers for the kids, and a balcony overlooking the backyard." Natsume's eyes sparkled. "Is the way up to the balcony climbable? We could re-re-enact Rapunzel." Mikan smiled a bit and raised an eyebrow.

"We'll see. What about jobs?" "Fireman." Natsume snapped, attempting to keep a straight face but breaking out laughing alongside Mikan. He stopped and sat on a park bench, holding up her hand again and playing with her fingers. "I dunno. Didn't really plan on working. He kissed her ring finger gently, blushing slightly at the breathless look on her face. "I'll read that story to my kids, for sure. Would they go to Alice Academy if they had an Alice?" Natsume scowled. "Hell no. Not if I have a say in the matter. I planned more or less on traveling the world, doing everything possible together. Then settling down, maybe."

She nodded, watching couples walk through the park and feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. She stood up abruptly, staring down at him. He raised an eyebrow. "HOW did that conversation suddenly turn to 'WE'?!" He chuckled. "I wasn't aware that wasn't your intention of the conversation," he stated bluntly, staring at her with those crimson red eyes that were both scary and endearing at the same time, yet always soft for her. She blushed. "I mean.. I… Uh…" He stood up, taking her hands in his and raising them to his chest. Looking straight down at her, his hot breath blowing on her cheek, he whispered "_You promised._" She looked up at him and was met with his piercing gaze. He wasn't as lighthearted anymore, he was staring at her rather seriously. His worried and bashful gaze reminded her of that day so long ago, when she'd planned to go stay with her mom.

She randomly, to Natsume at least, broke out crying, gripping his shirt with all her might and letting her tears soak into it. "Natsume, you know… You know damn well there's nobody else I would rather spend my life with! If you didn't… I… I don't know what I'd do with myself!" He smiled, kissing her nose. "That's right. Now say it."

"Only if you do it too."

"Do it, dammit."

"I love you."

"Me too.

"HEY! SAY IT!"

Natsume laughed, running his hand through her hair and breathing in the citrus scent.

"Love you."

There was a wolf whistle from the bushes nearby, and it was quite literally a wolf whistling. Ruka stepped from behind a tree. "Heehee. Shall I plan the wedding?" Mikan and Natsume looked at each other and nodded. She held his hand, and he held fire in the other. "I'd sure love Roast Ruka with a side dish of wolf at the wedding, wouldn't you, Mikan?"

"As much as I want Destiny."

"Natsume-the-Wonderful."

"Starting to think you don't want this to happen."

"Oh, trust me, I think I'll enjoy every second of it."

Ruka stared at them, snickered, and ran into the woods. Natsume leaned in for a sweet kiss, feeling her heartbeat race against his. After about 10 seconds, he turned to the woods. "He thinks we forgot."

"Let's show him!"

"Together." He grabbed her hand abruptly and ran into the woods, laughing alongside her.

The person he'd do anything for.

The person he loved most.

The person who saved him from the dark.

_Mikan._

* * *

_Thank you SO MUCH for reading! I have a lot of fun making these stories and I hope you have fun reading them. No sad endings here. Maybe I'll write a dramatic fic sometime, but the ending must always be happy. _

_Optimists cannot write sad-ending stories or our hearts will break! ;-;_

_Or maybe that's just me. EH. _

_Love you guys! ^^_


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